THE MAN who on Thursday night shot and killed Sherlene “Smallie” Mahangoo Charles, 37, and critically wounded her 15-year-old daughter, Kimberley, had prepared their entire family for their deaths five days before, issuing the threats back then after inflicting chop wounds on the woman.

He had told them last Sunday to purchase their “funeral clothes” and organise “the funeral” as he would be returning to kill Charles and her daughter on Thursday before taking his own life.

The relative remained on the run up to last night after carrying out his threats, fatally shooting the woman who managed to survive the cutlass attack by him on Sunday night at the house they once shared in Tarouba, on the outskirts of San Fernando. On Thursday, the day he fatally shot her and wounded her daughter, the suspect had celebrated his 35th birthday.

Not even the presence of her twin sisters Marie and Ann Marie Mahangoo, 22, who had moved into the house on Sunday night after he tried to kill her could have saved Charles, who worked as a cook at Royal Hotel in San Fernando, from her tragic death.

Grieving relatives yesterday told Newsday that after he planassed (beat with flat side of cutlass) and chopped the mother of four about the body, the man told family members he would return to kill her and her daughter.

And that is just what he did on Thursday night as he carried out the cruel act only sparing the life of her seven-year-old son Naim Ali, a student of Ste Madeleine Government Primary School. The chopping incident was still under investigation by police officers of the Ste Madeleine Police Station. She had been interviewed by two police officers on Monday and charges are yet to be laid.

Up to press time Kimberley, a Form Three student of Ste Madeleine Secondary School, was fighting for her life at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the San Fernando General Hospital (SFGH). She suffered lung injuries. Relatives have since taken custody of little Naim and are now praying for Kimberley.

Charles, who on Sunday night was chopped and wounded at about 10.15 pm and later rushed to the SFGH where she was attended to and subsequently discharged, was supposed to attend clinic at the Ste Madeleine Health Centre yesterday to change bandages on her hands, legs and back.

Family members instead, including her mother Zorina Mohammed, were at the Forensic Science Centre, St James yesterday awaiting her autopsy report while other siblings at home struggled to come to terms with her death. Charles had two other children Elijah, 20 and Sarah, nine.

A police report stated at about 11 pm on Thursday, the suspect of Macaulay, Claxon Bay broke into Charles’ home at Stonyhill Avenue, Tarodale, Tarouba and opened fire hitting her three times to her upper body as she exited her bedroom to investigate the loud noises that woke her up.

As she collapsed just outside the door, the suspect went into the bedroom she shared with Kimberley and Naim. He shot and wounded the teenager while leaving Naim unharmed. He only ran, relatives said, when Naim awakened by the loud explosions, ran outside and upon seeing him with a gun in his hand called out his name. He made good his escape by running through the back of the house into a waiting vehicle.

Charles’ sister, Marie, who was in the house hid in a bedroom when the suspect went on a rampage. A party of police officers led by Supt James, and including Insp Nabbie, Cpl Ramlogan and Sgt Prescott visited the scene. The body was later viewed by the District Medical Officer and ordered removed to the mortuary of the SFGH to be transferred to the Forensic Science Centre for the autopsy.

Yesterday a team of officers responded to a report of loud gunshots being heard in the vicinity of where the suspect lived but found no one when they got there.

Yesterday, at about 10.40 am during her interview with Newsday, one of Charles’ relatives received a call from the suspect’s phone. As if in disbelief, she stared at the number but did not answer the call instead letting it ring till it stopped. Other relatives checked the number confirming that it was his phone number.

They said the suspect would often stalk Charles.

Relatives said what happened on Sunday night when he chopped her confirmed their worst fears. They however never believed the suspect would have killed her.

Marie recalled what happened on Sunday night when he sneaked into the yard and hid behind the house.

She related, “As she climbed the stairs he attacked her and planassed and chopped her. She fell down. No one was able to help her and he told all present it was not over that he would return. When my sister Ann Marie called me and tell me (name called) chop up Smallie, I was amazed.”

On Thursday night, Marie said, the suspect in his anger smashed the glass of a front window and kicked in the door and as he stormed into the house he asked Charles “who the (obscene language) is Devon. I don’t know if she was seeing this person. She came outside and I heard her say ‘I am sorry” and then he shot her. He then went to the bedroom and shot Kimberley. He then ran when Naim came out the bedroom.”

Marie said she felt that her sister knew her death was near as last Monday and Tuesday were the “most scariest nights.”

“I spoke to her at about 8.50 pm last night (Thursday) and she told she was going to take her rest and lie down. Those were her last words to me.”

Charles’s father Ashuk Mahangoo, 59, of Caratal Road, Gasparillo couldn’t hold back his tears as he spoke of the first of his 11 children.

Ashuk said, “He tell my two boys on Wednesday that he coming to kill her. He really say he coming to kill her. I was here on Tuesday and talk to her and she tell me she now take a loan to fix up her place and she can’t work (because of her injuries) and she was worried how she would repay the loan. Look what come and happen now.”

He said his daughter told him the suspect was threatening her life and the matter had been reported to the police and they had warned him.

Southern Homicide Division along with Cpl Ramlogan of the Ste Madeleine Police Station are continuing investigations.